I totally agree. No one "needs" a car costing in the range of $100K. At this level, it's all about what we think will make us happier.

Though she prefers the M3, my wife says that we can get the 911 if I'm really dying to have it, but I can't quite say that I am, given that the M3 also has a nice precision to it, and neither the 911 or M3 has the insane thrust and sound of the humble C63 (if you haven't driven one, you might be surprised - not your father's Benz ).

I'll keep you all posted as we deliberate further, and hopefully test drive each car again.

 

Had a 997, just bought a 2011 M3. IF you want the Porsche, DON'T drive them back to back with the wife - unless you already have! The M3 is a LOT quieter and smoother, especially on rough roads. With the DCT, you won't use the 6spd that I got and is far inferior to the Porsche tranny. If you want the 911, they are really a joy to own, but the wife needs to be pretty atypical! Oh, with the cab, the 911 seats are even more upright than in the coupe. My 11 year old was starting to hit her head in the back of my coupe. She rode in the front most of the time. Interestingly, there are no real laws on riding in front - only recommendations.

 

M3 if you place a premium on the rear-space and want the security of a hardtop vert. 4 years from now your 2 kids are going to be bigger, keep that in mind. For every other reason, Porsche. The 911 will stir your soul as an "everyday supercar."

IMHO the natural progression is M3 to 911, not the other way around

 

True, I had an E46 M3 before the 997!

 

But you've now gone back to the M3. Main reason?

 

IMHO the natural progression is M3 to 911, not the other way around[/quote]

+1

 

His 11 year-old is hitting her head in the rear seats. Perfectly good reason for me as I mentioned above. How I managed to fit 2 Japanese girls in the back of my C2S still escapes me, guess they were drunk

 

+2

 

Are you considering the 997.2 S or non S. If you are considering the S then it will definitley have the thrust of the C63 when you have it in sport and more so in sport plus. My car has a few mods and I clocked it at 3.8 sec to 60mph and 9.1 to 100mph. That is at least .3sec faster then a C63 which is a lot in terms of feeling the torque. And the M3 in the upper rpm's is very fast with exact acceleration times of your C63, its just not as readily there and feels less torquey. The backseat in a 911 cab looks very uncomfortable and unsuitable, put her in the front seat and watch her smile.
I too was a big bmw guy and even went to the M-school. At the M-school I had lots of experience driving the m3 on the track and it was very impressive. Then recently I went to the porsche driving school and the 997 is much more impressive.
The instructors at the bmw school said that bmw is a great car with sporty nature but it is NOT a sports car.

Porsche is a sports car.
Now I still respect bmw but have NO desire for them at this time.

 

Just curious if you've looked into Aston Martin's V8 Vantage's as well? More options can't hurt!

I don't own any of the cars listed, but they are all in the same price group, for those of us weighing options. Good luck with your search!

 

What type of replies do you think you are going to get on a Porsche forum? Get the M3, it's the 'ultimate driving machine'. lol Porsche 'There is no substitute!. I hope you cross-post on a BMW forum to get their replies.

No, keep your 10 year old in the back seat, it is much safer. Do you know the force that comes out of the airbag can severely injure your child? At least that is what the yellow hazard sticker say.

 

We're looking at the non-S, mainly to keep the cost comfortably under $100K (psychological barrier). For us, one of the drawbacks of the 911 is that it's flashier than the M3, and we're better off keeping a bit lower profile since our employees see our cars, and one of our major clients is in the same building too.

I agree that the S would probably be closer to the C63 in acceleration, though I can live with the non-S since the PDK is so good (and sport plus is pretty intense). The M3 also has nice punch at high revs, but it's a little annoying to have to routinely go to those revs after getting used to the flat torque curve of the C63. And of course the convertible requirement penalizes both the 911 and M3, but have to keep the wife happy too ...

 

Very pretty car, but quite a bit pricier than the base 911 (non-S) we're considering.

 

If our daughter can't sit in the front seat, the 911 is definitely out. According to the Porsche dealer, the airbag is deactivated for passengers under 120 pounds, but that's definitely something we need to verify.

 

Your only justification should be if you need the room but you're unwilling to compromise (too a degree) on what you drive. The M3 is a GT car and the 911 is a sports car. Two different applications and and designed to be different in some key areas. I drove four M3 over the years from the E36 to the E92 while my sons grew up and no longer needed to be hauled to hockey or rugby games. The M3 was a great daily driver that allowed me to haul stuff while satisfying my need to drive something a little more visceral and yes, even go to a track day to two. Over the last 20 years, the M3 has been iconic in its particular market segment which it owned until recently.

I don't need the room now, so I've gone back to my first passion - Porsche. The last 20 years have been kind to the 911 too. It's now more drivable and more dependable then ever before, all without taking any of the pleasure out of driving it. But it's a vastly different experience than the M3. Not better or worse, not more exciting verses less exciting - just different. Which is subjective, and why you need to consider both for your own personal reasons. You will get hundreds of varying opinions here that will ultimately mean little to your buying decision. (like I wouldn't call the back seats in a 911, well..."back seats") We can only tell you what we do if we were you - which we aren't.

Your lucky enough to have such a choice to make. You could be comparing mini-van features! Good luck...you won't be disappointed either way.